Allegheny County officials ask for vigilance as 3 cases of UK variant identified

Allegheny County officials said there are at least three cases of the U.K. covid-19 variant in the county — but they remain optimistic about overall case numbers and the increasing rate of vaccination.

“We continue to see good levels of drop,” county Executive Rich Fitzgerald said. “There’s a lot of optimism as things continue to move forward.”

Dr. Debra Bogen, county health director, said Allegheny’s test positivity rate has fallen to 5.5% and the average daily case count dropped to 150 cases a day. The county on Wednesday recorded 24 new deaths and 250 cases. Many of the deaths took place in the past several weeks.

With warmer weather on the horizon, Bogen urged residents to remain cautious when it comes to covid-19 safety protocols — reminding them events and gatherings precipitated previous surges.

“As Allegheny County prepares to leave winter behind, I know there are plans for events, gatherings, weddings, parties, get-togethers,” Bogen said. “We want to make sure people meet safely to prevent the spread of the virus.”

The health department has administered 22,000 first doses of the Moderna vaccine since Jan. 4, Bogen said — nearly 75% of which went to people age 65 and older. About 61% of people vaccinated by the health department were female and 39% were male, Bogen said.

The department’s vaccine distribution by race and ethnicity aligns with the county’s demographic makeup, Bogen said: About 78% are white, 15% are Black, 3.7% Asian and about 0.3% are American Indian or Alaska native.

Bogen reiterated that all statistics were relating only to vaccines administered by the health department. They do not include information from other providers in Allegheny County and make up only about 10% of the total vaccine distributed to Allegheny County.

Inoculations at senior facilities to resume

Delays in vaccine delivery last week, because of winter storms across the U.S., have set back some of the health department’s vaccine operations. Bogen said the department has held off inoculating residents at senior facilities this week but has plans to continue that effort for the coming week.

Additionally, she said the statewide shortage of Moderna doses has caused some second-dose appointments this week to be delayed. People affected should receive information about their new appointments by the end of the week.

“The health department is confident it will provide all of its second doses within the CDC recommendation of 28 to 42 days for the Moderna vaccine,” she said.

The health department’s allocation of first and second doses improved from last week as the state’s overall supply of vaccine increases. State officials on Tuesday said this week, Pennsylvania was allocated 225,890 first doses of vaccine — the highest single-week allotment of first doses the state has received since the beginning of the rollout. That’s an increase of more than 42,000 doses.

The commonwealth is receiving 180,610 second doses, an increase of nearly 40,000.

Bogen said the likely authorization of the new Johnson & Johnson vaccine by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration will further assist local efforts. The Johnson & Johnson vaccine consists of only one dose for full inoculation and does not require such intense freezer requirements as the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine.

That means more small providers likely will be able to receive an allocation without the necessity of ultra-cold storage.

At this time, officials don’t have a time frame for when the county would begin receiving the Johnson & Johnson vaccine, but Bogen said she is hopeful it will begin circulating in the next couple of weeks.

“I am hopeful that we will see the end of this pandemic sometime this year,” Bogen said. “But for now, we must stay the course.”